Studio B, 39A East Philadelphia Avenue in Boyertown, PA, is pleased to announce the opening of “Wabi-sabi: Celebrating Simple Beauty,” the studio’s sixth annual exhibit and book release combining literary and visual art.

The exhibit, sponsored by Tompkins VIST Bank, opens Friday, March 15, 2019, with a reception from 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. and runs through April 14, 2019. The exhibition and opening reception are free and open to the public.

“This year’s theme was suggested by one of our participating artists,” explained Jane Stahl, Director of Community Relations. ‘“Wabi’ means things that are fresh and simple. ‘Sabi’ calls to mind the cycles of age and the things whose beauty stems from age,” she continued.

“This Japanese world-view provides a balm to many of our modern-day ills and ameliorates the greed and incivility rampant in the current culture. The mindfulness of wabi-sabi finds both the glory and the melancholy in one single morning glory, a gray December landscape, the aching beauty of an abandoned shed, rusty tools, a chipped vase, a faded piece of cloth,” Stahl explained.

Prizes to visual artists and writers will be awarded at the opening reception by Margaret Harner. Harner is retired from the Boyertown Area School District where she taught social studies for 37 years. Since retirement, she has devoted much of her time to writing about local history. She has co-authored 5 books about the town where she grew up, and wrote a history of St. John’s Lutheran Church and One Day at a Time: A Social History of Boyertown, plus numerous pamphlets and newspaper and magazine articles. She has served on boards of directors for Building a Better Boyertown, the Boyertown United Way, the local historical society, and the General Carl A. Spaatz Museum.

The Miskos are serving for the fifth year as sponsors for the exhibit’s prizes and provide the funding for the awards.

The booklet of prose, poetry, and illustrations edited by Stahl and Susan Biebuyck, fine artist and Studio B’s gallery director, features the work of local writers and artists and will be offered for sale in addition to the art.

“We are grateful for the sponsorship of Tompkins VIST Bank,” noted Biebuyck, “and for the leadership of Lori Carnes, Branch Manager. “In an effort to assist us in promoting the exhibit and the work of our artists and writers, Lori invited us to stage a mini art exhibit at the Boyertown location. We are always eager to showcase our talented artists wherever we can,” she continued, “and appreciate Lori’s thoughtfulness.”

Throughout the exhibit’s run several opportunities for writers, artists, and the community are planned. On Sunday, March 24, 2019, from 2 p.m.-4 p.m., a poetry/prose reading of the works included in the booklet will be held.

On Sunday, April 7, 2019, 2 p.m.-4 p.m., writers and artists are invited to an “ekphrastic” workshop in which writers are asked to bring a poem or prose selection and ask our visual artists to respond to it and our visual artists are asked to bring a piece of their artwork and have writers respond to it in a poem or prose piece.